<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Warding Bond by walkalittleline</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23760445">Warding Bond</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/walkalittleline/pseuds/walkalittleline'>walkalittleline</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Critical Role (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fjorclay Week 2020, M/M, fjorclay week, when you use a proposal to disguise your spell usage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:28:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>722</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23760445</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/walkalittleline/pseuds/walkalittleline</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Fjorclay Week Day 1: Battle couple/post-battle</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caduceus Clay/Fjord</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Warding Bond</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You are ridiculous, you know that?”</p><p>The voice comes through his brain fuzzy and sluggish but it still makes him smile. He blinks the eye that’s not swollen shut open, Fjord’s frowning face swimming in front of him as he regains consciousness.</p><p>“Foolish,” Fjord mutters, scowling though Caduceus can see the relief in his expression as he wakes.</p><p>“‘M’okay,” Caduceus mumbles, voice thin and croaky. “You’re here. Are you okay?”</p><p>Fjord gives him a warning look like he might smack him if he wasn’t already on the verge of passing out again. Caduceus grins, wincing at the pain that lances through his eye and cheek. He thinks the bone might be cracked from the blow across the head that sent him crumpling to the ground.</p><p>“I’m <em> fine</em>,” Fjord says sharply. He pauses in the act of wrapping Caduceus’ bloodied wrist, his shoulders slumping. “That was a dirty trick.”</p><p>“It wasn’t a trick,” Caduceus says.</p><p>“You didn’t tell me what it would do,” Fjord bites back angrily. He holds up his hand to display the simple platinum band on his finger. There’s a matching one on Caduceus’ own hand. “Do you think I would have taken this if I knew what you were going to do with it?”</p><p>“I just needed to make sure you were safe,” Caduceus says. He feels guilty for hiding the full truth from Fjord, but more than anything he’s relieved it worked exactly like he’d hoped.</p><p>“And what about you?” The hurt and worry is clear in Fjord’s voice and Caduceus reaches up to take his hand in his own, lacing their fingers together and brushing his thumb over the cool metal.</p><p>“I’m sorry for not telling you everything,” he says quietly, lifting his other hand to brush over Fjord’s cheek and smiling when Fjord leans reluctantly into the touch. “I knew you wouldn’t let me if I did. But I won’t let you die again.”</p><p>“And if you die taking suffering intended for me?” Fjord says. “How am I supposed to live with that?”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Caduceus repeats softly. He guides Fjord’s face down so he can kiss him gently, kissing the drying streaks on his cheeks next and murmuring another apology. “I won’t do it again.”</p><p>“Good,” Fjord mutters. He wipes his eyes discreetly and sighs. “I’m keeping the ring, though.”</p><p>Caduceus laughs, grimacing and clutching his ribs with a pained grunt as he does.</p><p>“Your answer hasn’t changed, then?” he says.</p><p>“It would take a lot more than you being reckless for me to change my mind about wanting to marry you,” Fjord says fondly. “Assuming you <em> did </em> mean it and weren’t just finding a way to get me to wear the ring.”</p><p>“Of course I meant it,” Caduceus says, feeling a stab of guilt that Fjord would ever doubt his intentions due to his actions. “I want to marry you more than anything.”</p><p>Fjord smiles. “I just like to hear you say it, I think.” He pauses, glancing over at where the others are collecting themselves, Jester peering over at them with a combination of suspicion and eager curiosity. “When are we going to tell them?”</p><p>Caduceus winces as he pushes himself into a more upright position. “Mm, when I have more energy to answer all the questions,” he mutters. </p><p>Fjord chuckles, helping him to his feet carefully. “If we wait until one of them notices the rings you know we’ll get an earful from Jester and Beau,” he says, allowing Caduceus to lean heavily on him as they walk.</p><p>Caduceus sighs. “Alright,” he says reluctantly. “We’ll tell them tomorrow.” He smiles. “I kind of liked sharing a secret with you again.”</p><p>“And you remember the aftermath of them realizing we’d been seeing each other in secret for a month?” Fjord says, grimacing.</p><p>Caduceus’ smile widens. “Yeah, but it was still fun,” he says mischievously. “I don’t really get to be sneaky all that much.”</p><p>“I wish you didn’t get your thrills from something that makes Beau yell at me for twenty minutes,” Fjord mutters darkly.</p><p>“I’ll make it up to you,” Caduceus replies with a suggestive, secretive smile, though he’s not sure how appealing he looks with one eye swollen shut and half his face bruised purple. </p><p>“Tomorrow,” Fjord says firmly. “We’ll tell them at breakfast.”</p><p>Caduceus sighs but nods in acquiescence. “Spoilsport.”</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>